A young girl is killed in crossfire after a routine arrest goes terribly wrong, and Lt. Lindsay Boxer has to defend herself against a charge of police brutality. In a landmark trial that transfixes the nation, Lindsay fights to save her career and her sanity.

While awaiting trial, Lindsay escapes to the beautiful town of Half Moon Bay, but the peaceful community there is reeling from a string of unspeakable murders. Working with her friends in the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay finds a link between these killings and a case she worked on years before-an unsolved murder that has haunted her ever since. As summer comes into full swing, Lindsay battles for her life on two fronts: before a judge and jury as her trial comes to a climax, and facing unknown adversaries who will do anything to keep her from the truth about the killings--including killing again. It all comes to a head before the big annual 4th of July celebration on the waterfront at Half Moon Bay.

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What can I say that everyone else hasn't already said. This author is the best ... the very best! Kept me on the edge of my seat, reading until I thought my eyes would cross! Patterson just keeps getting better and better. This awesome author is certainly a master of his craft and doesn't need any help keeping me on edge, but the edge seemed to have a bit of a cushion this time. Could the 'plush' difference be the influence of his new co-author, the very talented Maxine Paetro? And did I detect a bit more humor in this book? You bet I did! Paetro again? It must have been a perfect collaboration between these fabulous 'wordsmiths' because the differences from the first three books in this series are so subtle as to be almost undetectable. What an amazing coupling of talents. I hope to hear more from Ms. Paetro in the future. Perhaps another fantastic book with Mr. Patterson ... or a novel of her own? I highly recommend this book ... and ALL of Patterson's books. He's a master of his craft--and Paetro is the co-author dreams are made of. When two talents blend so smoothly (like chocolate and peanut butter?), the result was bound to be a rare reading pleasure. Jog, don't walk, to your closest bookstore and get your copy now. Even though it's titled 4th of July, you won't want to wait until then to read this exciting novel.I also recommend 'The Quest' by George Kostantinos. ENJOY.

If you are able to easily suspend your disbelief, you won't mind that this book strays a bit from the way things happen in the real world. Lately I've found this is necessary with the last books I've taken on----"Bark of the Dogwood," "The time Traveler's Wife,"---the list goes one. If you've never read any books from this series, don't start with this one. There are some story lines in "4th of July" that will be spoiled for you if you haven't read earlier books. And if this doesn't bother you, dive right in. Lindsay Boxer, who has already had her share of problems in the previous three books, is now on trial after her attempt to help two children goes very wrong. At the same time she is trying to solve recent murders that remind her of one of her first cases which was never solved. I did enjoy this book and might have rated it higher if we heard more from or about the other members of the murder club. Other than a few drinks and a meal or two with all three women together both Claire, a pathologist who works for the city and Cindy, a newspaper reporter were kept very much in the background. Would also suggest the more literary "Children's Corner" by McCrae or the disturbing "Glass Castle." Both great, but totally different reads for your summer vacation.

Usually when an author has a great series, an alternate series is lacking. Not so with James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series - it rivals his Alex Cross series. Both are filled with action packed pages and characters to which the reader can relate.In 4TH OF JULY, Lindsay is accused of police brutality and excessive force, causing her to be put on administrative leave while the trial is on going. She is also recovering from being shot by these minors who were pursued for horrendous murders. Instead of staying in San Francisco and being hounded by the media, Lindsay housesits for her sister in Half Moon Bay and baby-sits her pot-bellied pig.Instead of resting and relaxing, she soon discovers a series of murders that don't seem to have any connection except for the murderer's signature. Lindsay plunges headfirst into helping the local law enforcement solve these murders, while preparing for her upcoming trial. She gets a bit too close to solving the crime and begins to endure threats, such as being attacked with semi-automatic fire while sleeping.Characters are always Patterson's strong suit and this is no exception. The villains' identities are not hard to figure out, but that doesn't detour from the enjoyment of this book. The entire ensemble is fun - from the slimy owner of a porn shop who just happens to be an ex-porn star, to the local mechanic who is smitten with Lindsay, to the Head of a Orphanage and her daughter who become good friends with Lindsay, to a local attorney who literally runs over Lindsay while she's walking her dog, to the police chief who is not happy with Lindsay for butting into his investigation, to Yuki - Lindsay's new attorney.The story is a bit on the predictable side; well at least the outcome is predictable.Read more ›

Lately I have been very disappointed in James Patterson's books. Especially the Cross novels after Violets are Blue. Those three Cross stories, and the Lake House seemed like they were a rush of sentances, and a blur of action, leaving behind the character driven stories of the people we have grown to love in their previous outtings. However, with just finishing Honeymoon, and 4th of July back to back, I do have to say that James Patterson has gotten back to his roots of deep character driven stories. I have always loved the women's murder club series, and have felt that they have stayed true to the first novel, and every one following. Even though 4th is centered mainly on Lindsay Boxer, with brief showings of the other girls, Claire and Cindy, the book still managed to keep me interested enough to stay up until 3am (with work the next day at 7:30), to find out what the verdict of Boxer's trial would be. It is a touching story, that made me feel for Lindsay, and although I had guessed the first killer straight away, I was taken back by the others. I do highly recommend 4th of July to Patterson fans, and newly aquainted readers. Hopefully James will continue to give us the material we want, and not the contrived bits we've been seeing over the last little while.